41st UNESCO General Conference

Very important are the results of the meeting of the Committee of Sciences of the 41st General UNESCO Conference approving the program and the actions for the years 2022-2023, as well as initiatives in the field of science. In particular, in the context of the Meeting of the Committee on Science, were established the International Day for Geodiversity on October 6 each year and the new Open Science program, which concerns the removal of restrictions on the interconnection of scientific databases and free access to the data of scientific research around the world. The report of Unesco Global Geoparks was also approved.

In his speech at the 41st General Conference / Science Committee, Professor Nikolaos Zouros, Head of the UNESCO Chair for Geoparks and Sustainable development of insular and coastal areas of the University of the Aegean and President of Unesco GlobalGeoparks Network referred to the importance of geodiversity, which is the foundation for diversity of habitats and ecosystems and therefore has crucial role for the protection of biodiversity. He also mentioned the importance of geological heritage and fossil findings in understanding and tackling climate change. He also held a series of meetings with Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences UNESCO, Inga Nichanian UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Program and Κristof Vandenberghe, Chief of the Section for Earth Sciences and Geo-Hazard Risk Reduction.